Mapping the Determinants of Citations in Academic Productions in Brazilian Social Sciences: A Study with National Survey

Abstract

Introduction

The study examines the citation behavior of researchers from Brazilian postgraduate programs in the Social Sciences, specifically within the subfields of Anthropology, Political Science, International Relations, and Sociology. The primary objective is to understand the factors influencing reference selection and the practices employed in searching and selecting bibliographic materials.

Methods

Data were collected through a survey, where participants provided insights into the factors influencing their reference choices and their bibliographic search and selection habits. The sample was chosen with the support of professional associations in the field, resulting in 708 complete responses. The survey captured demographic information, including subfield, academic status, gender, country of education, and state of residence.

Results

The majority of respondents were from Political Science, were students, male, educated at Brazilian institutions, and resided in the Southeast region, particularly São Paulo. The regression analyses showed very low R² values, indicating that the sample characteristics explain very little of the reported citation behavior. Regarding document search habits, respondents predominantly used Google Scholar and resorted to pirate websites when documents were not freely accessible. The systematic review was the most well-known method of literature review among participants.

Discussion

The results suggest that despite the diverse demographic characteristics of the respondents, these factors have minimal explanatory power regarding citation behavior. The preference for Google Scholar and the use of pirate websites highlight accessibility issues within academic resources. The knowledge of systematic reviews points to a growing trend toward structured literature review methods in the social sciences, but this should be viewed with caution.

Conclusion

This study provides a snapshot of the citation behavior among Brazilian postgraduate researchers in the social sciences. Further research is needed to explore the underlying reasons behind these behaviors and how they might influence the quality and diversity of academic citations in these fields.